Berry basket



Feb. 1, 1938. F. K. SHIMIZU El AL 2,106,816

BERRY BASKET Filed Jan. 15, 1937 5 5e 4 J 11 /a1 VFW-2517: lm J 21 19 35 Raw 52w- Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BERRY BASKET Frank K. Shimizu and Esau Shjmizu, San Jose, Calif 7 Claims.

This invention relates to berry baskets or boxes, and preferably to those made of paper or similar sheet material, for shipping berries and other small fruits in crates.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement whereby a berry basket or tray or box is formed from a single blank, with reinforcing cuif strips inside thereof for two opposite downwardly tapered side walls, and with outside cuif strips for the other two opposite and downwardly tapered side walls, whereby a quite rigid and satisfactory receptacle or container is provided, for berries or other small fruits, and whereby certain advantages are obtained in the manufacture of the container, in the way of low cost high speed quantity production, as well as the minimizing of waste material, in the cutting of successive blanks from a strip of paper or other sheet material.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction tending to increase the general efliciency and desirability of a fruit container of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. l is a perspective of a berry basket or tray or box embodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2--2 in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating a feature of the cuff construction for the upper edges of the container.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank of paper or other sheet material from which the receptacle or container is made.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a slightly different form of the invention.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a blank formed as shown in Fig. 4, having a rectangular and preferably square middle portion forming the bottom wall of the receptacle. Tapered flaps I, 2, 3, and 4 are flexibly connected to the four edges of the bottom wall section by score lines or creases 5, 6, I, and 8, these tapered side wall sections being tapered toward the bottom wall section. The oppositely arranged sections 2 and 4 are provided with lateral flaps or wings 9, I0, II, and I2, connected thereto by score lines or creases I3, l4, I5, and I6, formed by severing lines I I that separate these wings or flaps from the ends of the side sections I and 3 previously described. The sections 2 and 4 have cufi strips I8 and I9 connected thereto by score lines or creases 2D and 2|, and the wings or flaps 9, II], II, and I2 have cufi strips 22, 23, 24, and flexibly connected thereto by score lines or creases 26, 21, 28, and29. Openings can be formed in the sheet material, for ventila-' tion, if desired.

The blank thus shown and described, when folded, forms the box or tray or basket shown in Figs, 1, 2, and 3 of the drawing. It will be seen that the cuff flaps I8 and I9 arefolded down and secured to the outer surface of the sides 2 and 4 of the receptacle. The cuff strips 22, 23, 24, and 25 are folded inside, and preferably overlap, for the reason that the flaps or Wings 9, I0, I I, and I2 overlap at their ends, and this overlap outside extends upwardly and then down inside, as far as the lower edges of the cuff strips thus formed on these wings or flaps. In this way the upper edges of the box or receptacle are reinforced by two inside cuff strips, and by two outside cuffs as well, the outside cuffs each being continuous and in one piece, whereas each inside cuff is formed of two sections overlapping at their ends. It will be seen that the notches 3| facilitate the overlap of the wings and of the cuff strips, at two sides of the receptacle, as by this formation the overlap is not carried over the upper edges of the sections I and 3 of the receptacle, as indicated more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawing, whereby the upper edges at these sides are flush and even and in the same plane as the upper edges of the other two sides of the receptacle. For that purpose, it will be seen that the sections I and 3 are slightly narrower than the sections 2 and 4, the difference being approximately the thickness of the sheet material that is finally disposed along the upper edges of the sections I and 3 of the container.

Preferably, the flaps or wings 9, I0, II, and I2 are overlapped and glued in place, and preferably the cuff strips are also turned down and glued in place, by adhesive of any suitable character. However, as shown in Fig. 5, staples 32 and 33 can be applied and inserted through the cuff strips, from the outside, and clinched on the inner surface of the container, to hold the blank in folded condition, if staples instead of glue are desired.

It will be seen that the blank is formed from a sheet or strip of paper with a minimum of waste of material. Looking at Fig. 4 of the drawing, the sheet or strip of paper may be moving either to the left or the right, and the successive blanks may be cut therefrom by any suitable or well-known machinery for this purpose. A blank of the kind shown and described is easily folded, by comparatively simple and inexpensive machinery, and the resulting box or receptacle is strong and rigid and well adapted for the shipping of berries or other small fruits in crates or boxes.

'With the construction shown and described, it will be seen that the overlapping flaps 9, In, H, and I2 are integral with the upper edges of the inside cuff sections 22, 23, 24, and 25, so that each side wall I and 3 has a quadruple thickness at the middle thereof, providing additional stiffness for the sides of the box or container. The outside flaps l8 and 19 leave the inner surface of the sides 2 and 4 entirely smooth and flush, and the four. cuffs thus formed'and located facilitate the folding of the blank into the desired receptacle.

Looking at Figs. 1, 2, and 3, it will be seen that the inside cufi' sections 23 and 25 cverlap'at their meeting ends, and are secured to the inner surface of the receptacle, so that this inside overlapping relation serves to maintain the overlapping relation of the portions l and/ll outside. In this connection, it Will also be seen that the formation3l at the ends of the fold lines 21 and 28, serveto provide abutting edges between the sections 23' and 25 on the upper edge of theside wall 3, shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawing, so that the outside and inside. overlap does not extend over the upper edge of the wall 3, and this is true of the formation at the upper edge of'the wall I at the opposite side of the receptacle. Hence, as shown and described, the four upper edges of the receptacle are all smoothand straight and in the same horizontal plane.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A receptacle for fruit'or other commodities, formed froma single blank of paper or suitable sheet material, having two full length cufis folded down from two opposite upper side wall edges of the receptacle, two insidecuffs each formed in two sections folded down from theupper edges of the other two side walls of the receptacle, and four overlapping outside portions integral withthe upper edges-of saidinside cuffs and having a formation "therewith that prevents the overlap formed by said lapping portions from extending over the'upper edgeof said other side walls, thereby providing'abutting edges on the top ofeach said other side wall at the middle thereof, so that the upper edges of the receptacle are all in the same horizontal plane, with the first mentioned cuffs secured to the surface of the two side walls, and the inside cuffs secured to the inner surface of the other two side walls, serving to hold said outside portions in overlapping relation.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said inside cuffs having an inside overlap and having a notch formation that prevents the overlap from extending over the upper edges of the two side walls to the inner surfaces of which the inside flaps are secured, whereby all four upper edges of the receptacle are flush and even and in the same horizontal plane.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said inside cuff sections overlapping at their ends at the middle of the side wall.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1, said blank having wings or flaps forming said overlapping .portions and provided with foldable strips forming said inside cuffs, said wings or flaps" having straight end edges and being secured to the outer surface of two opposite side walls ofthe receptacle.

5. A structure as specified in claim 1, said inside cuffs being overlapping and flexibly connected to tapered wings or flaps that form said outside overlapping portions, that overlap at the middle of said other opposite sides of the receptacle.

6. A structure as specified in claim 1, said inside sections overlapping at'their endsandsecured to the inner surface of the receptacle and thereby serving to maintain said outside portions in the said overlapping relation thereof.

7 7.'A receptacle for fruit or other commodities, formed from. a single blank of paper or suitable sheetimaterial, having'two outside cuffs folded down from two opposite upper edges thereof, two inside cufis folded downfrom the upper edges of the other two side walls of the receptacle, with the outside cuffs secured to the outer surface of'the two side walls, and the inside cuffs securedxto the inner surface of the other twosidewalls, said inside cuffs having an inside overlap and having a notch formation that, prevents theoverlap from extending over the upper edges ofthe two side walls to the inner surfaces of which the inside-flaps are-secured,- whereby all four upper edges ofthe-receptacle are fiushand-even and in the same horizontal plane.

FRANK K. SHIMIZU. ESAU SHIMIZU. 

